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Veteran skydiver of 9,000 jumps dies in Alberta accident

The veteran skydiving instructor completed more than 9,000 jumps and trained scores of newbies and military parachutists during his 30-year career.

Now, his devastated family and friends are planning a memorial after the 49-year-old retired Canadian Forces major fell to his death near Stony Plain, Alta., during a casual solo jump on Saturday.

“He went out for a fun jump . . . just for a laugh,” said Lyal Waddell, owner of Skydive Eden North, the parachuting school where Scott completed tandem jumps through his company, Skydivers R Us.

Waddell, who had known Scott for 20 years, became emotional as he recalled the accident. It was 7:30 p.m. and Scott had already completed three tandem jumps that day.

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He took a small, fast parachute that allows jumpers to build up speed and “surf” the air once they flatten out. The parachute opened correctly, but Scott didn’t slow down enough before he hit the ground, said Waddell.

“He just didn’t time his landing properly. He was going way too fast.”

Waddell didn’t see the accident happen but was about to board a plane with 10 others when one man saw it. “This is bad,” he said.

RCMP Cpl. Colette Zazulak said Scott was unresponsive and declared dead at hospital. An autopsy was scheduled Monday to determine the cause of death.

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Sarah MacKay, Scott’s 30-year-old niece, said the family is in a state of shock.

“This was his life. To hear that something happened to him while he was (skydiving), it’s hard to understand. He made it look so flawless and effortless,” she said.

She said Scott grew up in Miramichi, N.B., as the youngest of seven siblings. He joined the military straight out of high school in 1982 and fell in love with skydiving soon after.

“I used to say, ‘He had to be part-bird,’” she said. “He was free, he was happy . . . . You could tell he felt at home up there.”

He remained close with his family, even if he could only visit the east coast about once a year. Three of his siblings have died, but he’s survived by his parents, brother, two sisters and several nieces and nephews, said MacKay.

She said his brother, Terry, is in Alberta to arrange the funeral, but nothing could be done until the police investigation was complete. “It feels like we’re at a standstill,” she said.

MacKay added she hopes her uncle is remembered as the happy, passionate person he was.

“This was it. This was his passion. Whether he was in the air or on the ground, there was always a big smile on his face.”

In the mid-1990s Scott was commander of the Canadian Forces Parachute Team, also known as the SkyHawks, before retiring to become a trainer with the team. He was also a member of the Canadian National Parachute Team.

Current SkyHawks commander Capt. Victor Mover last saw him at a training camp in California that wrapped up at the end of April.

“As an instructor, he was very meticulous and focused on details,” he said. “He wasn’t the type of guy to give a compliment unless you really deserved it. But when you did get a compliment, it was like gold.”

Mover said team members were “shocked” and would dedicate their 2013 season to Scott.

A photo of Scott skydiving on the SkyHawks Facebook page has been shared more than 250 times and garnered 400 comments, many from people who jumped with Scott over the years.

“My family and I . . . are totally devastated at the sudden loss of our much loved and admired baby brother,” wrote Debbie Mattatall, who identified herself as Scott’s sister. “Seeing all your responses here is heartwarming.”

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